Though I seemed to sleep for longer than normal, the ship started rolling bad again so I was pretty much awake when the morning reveille sounded. I seriously contemplated staying in bed but knowing we had a class this morning I sucked it up and got moving. I got on deck right after the muster and Johnson asked that we muster in the morning in line with the mizzen. Up to now most of the TSA just sort of hung out on the side and were never directed to do it differently. I assured her that I would tell the others and would do as she asked.
I found out the morning class we were attending was Damage Control and Johnson told me they were all wearing their PT gear (sweats, shorts etc..) and that we should wear clothes we wouldn't mind getting dirty. I went back to our berth and changed yet again and let my bunkmates know that they should do the same.
When we got up to the waist for class, the crew had laid out some SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) tanks and FFA (Ferrara Fire Apparatus) gear into separate piles. We were split into two groups. Our group was to start with the SCBA gear. Calen grabbed two of the four tanks and handed me one so I guess we'd be in the starting demo. The group leader reviewed first how to put on the tanks properly. I was not surprised to find that my tank was missing half the chest strap so I put on the gear as best I could and was of course called out because of it. The group leader called out "Is this man wearing this gear properly?" as he pointed to me and was greeted by a resounding "No!" from the group. First I needed to tuck my straps in. They do not have a method nor a designated place to do this, you just tuck them where you can. When he got around to pointing out the chest strap, I informed him the strap didn't exist which he was surprised to find when he double-checked himself. He proceeded to review how to use the valve to turn on the oxygen and told us that even though the tanks are rated for 45 minutes, you'd be lucky to get twenty minutes out of them. A mass of factors determine this such as heart rate, body weight, activity level etc. You have both a manual dial and a digital read out to track your O2 level - "Always trust your manual dial over your digital" was the word given.
He reviewed each line of the tank, stressing that they were all under high pressure and only one set that went to the regulator was safe to breath from. The regulator had a large line that led to a plastic half cylinder that clipped into a housing on your belt. Squeeze two triggers and it pops right off. It has a release valve on it that allows you to help bleed extra air into your helmet to help cool you off or clear your site but to not leave the valve open or you'd exhaust your air supply prematurely. When the air supply runs below 1000, an alarm bell on the back of your rig goes off letting you know it's time for you and your crew to move to a safe area. It also has a "man down" alarm that goes off if you don't move enough in five minutes which can be entertaining as you'll see some crewmen dancing or jigging to prevent their alarm from going off.
I found out the morning class we were attending was Damage Control and Johnson told me they were all wearing their PT gear (sweats, shorts etc..) and that we should wear clothes we wouldn't mind getting dirty. I went back to our berth and changed yet again and let my bunkmates know that they should do the same.
When we got up to the waist for class, the crew had laid out some SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) tanks and FFA (Ferrara Fire Apparatus) gear into separate piles. We were split into two groups. Our group was to start with the SCBA gear. Calen grabbed two of the four tanks and handed me one so I guess we'd be in the starting demo. The group leader reviewed first how to put on the tanks properly. I was not surprised to find that my tank was missing half the chest strap so I put on the gear as best I could and was of course called out because of it. The group leader called out "Is this man wearing this gear properly?" as he pointed to me and was greeted by a resounding "No!" from the group. First I needed to tuck my straps in. They do not have a method nor a designated place to do this, you just tuck them where you can. When he got around to pointing out the chest strap, I informed him the strap didn't exist which he was surprised to find when he double-checked himself. He proceeded to review how to use the valve to turn on the oxygen and told us that even though the tanks are rated for 45 minutes, you'd be lucky to get twenty minutes out of them. A mass of factors determine this such as heart rate, body weight, activity level etc. You have both a manual dial and a digital read out to track your O2 level - "Always trust your manual dial over your digital" was the word given.
He reviewed each line of the tank, stressing that they were all under high pressure and only one set that went to the regulator was safe to breath from. The regulator had a large line that led to a plastic half cylinder that clipped into a housing on your belt. Squeeze two triggers and it pops right off. It has a release valve on it that allows you to help bleed extra air into your helmet to help cool you off or clear your site but to not leave the valve open or you'd exhaust your air supply prematurely. When the air supply runs below 1000, an alarm bell on the back of your rig goes off letting you know it's time for you and your crew to move to a safe area. It also has a "man down" alarm that goes off if you don't move enough in five minutes which can be entertaining as you'll see some crewmen dancing or jigging to prevent their alarm from going off.
Next was the facemask. You had to have the solid rubber section on the back lined up exactly on the top back section of your head or it would pull and shift off your face. Stick your chin in and pull the first two lower rubber belts to tighten the lower half onto your head and then grab the top two belts to pull the full facemask onto your face.
Once the facemask was adjusted on your face, you unclip the plastic cap from your belt and line up the lines and push it into your facemask. At this point you need to take a breath in for the seal to break and allow you to breath normally. The mask has a external vocal system that once activated, allowed you to talk normally and everyone around you could hear. I got a bit of a scowl from the team lead when I tested using "Luke, I am your father!" but the mask looked so Vader like I really had no choice in the matter. It also has a plug for a communications system and a wireless tank reader that puts a HUD in your mask and the four lights show you how much air you have left. They also said to never trust this because if you lean into another crewmen wearing the same gear, yours or his might show a reading from the others tank instead of yours.
After the demo, I removed my gear and the other crewmen went through the same procedures after swabbing out the masks with an alcohol pad. They had to dry the alcohol thoroughly after because it would eat through the rubber eventually.
Next we moved on to FFA's or firefighting gear. You had to put on a flame retardant shirt, then a flame retardant ski mask. You then got into the suit and put on thick rubber boots, pull the entire thick jumpsuit up and zip yourself in. You then put on the helmet, pulled the helmet collar velcro attachment to the other side and then clipped the helmet around your chin. After you put on the flame retardant gloves, you were cleared to remove the gear and give it to the next crewmen. Happy to say I was in and out in record time.
Once the facemask was adjusted on your face, you unclip the plastic cap from your belt and line up the lines and push it into your facemask. At this point you need to take a breath in for the seal to break and allow you to breath normally. The mask has a external vocal system that once activated, allowed you to talk normally and everyone around you could hear. I got a bit of a scowl from the team lead when I tested using "Luke, I am your father!" but the mask looked so Vader like I really had no choice in the matter. It also has a plug for a communications system and a wireless tank reader that puts a HUD in your mask and the four lights show you how much air you have left. They also said to never trust this because if you lean into another crewmen wearing the same gear, yours or his might show a reading from the others tank instead of yours.
After the demo, I removed my gear and the other crewmen went through the same procedures after swabbing out the masks with an alcohol pad. They had to dry the alcohol thoroughly after because it would eat through the rubber eventually.
Next we moved on to FFA's or firefighting gear. You had to put on a flame retardant shirt, then a flame retardant ski mask. You then got into the suit and put on thick rubber boots, pull the entire thick jumpsuit up and zip yourself in. You then put on the helmet, pulled the helmet collar velcro attachment to the other side and then clipped the helmet around your chin. After you put on the flame retardant gloves, you were cleared to remove the gear and give it to the next crewmen. Happy to say I was in and out in record time.
When everyone was through trying the equipment, we moved on to the fire hose. We laid out the hose and were told what to expect when using the nozzle. On the Eagle, you have someone man the nozzle and a lineman right behind them support them. The lineman was to put their boot side by side with the nozzle mans boot so you could support each others stance. The hose man would also push their forearm into their back to support the nozzle mans stance. The hose man could then move the hose left, right up and down to guide where the water was going and could also guide the nozzle man. There were likely to be multiple hose men designated hose man 1, 2 etc. but it was only hose man one that would directly support the nozzle man. Hose man one could also bend their knee which would allow the nozzle man to sit down if they were getting too tired. We started up the hose and tested shooting it over the side, changing the flow valve while hose man one would then test aiming. After each turn, hose man one would move up to the nozzle position and hose man two would move to position one. This continued on until everyone had a turn. During this, another group tested a hose on the opposite side of the ship and shot the hose directly at the deck which soaked everyone in the vicinity.
We then forgot everything as we went down to the mess for lunch. After lunch there was a call to quarters where the whole crew meets at the waist and all crewmen are accounted for. Afterward, the Chief goes over any changes to the plan of the day.
We met up again at 13:30 for the Introduction to Seamanship class at the Waist. We counted off by threes and separated into three groups, I ended up in group one. Group one went to the port side aft area and fastened a life ring to the upper deck to make a target. Once it was ready, we were shown how to throw the heaving lines. The idea is that the hurling lines have a weighted plastic ball at the end and are attached to a dock line when you hurl it to the receiving dock for them to pull the lines over from the ship. On the Friendship, every crewman has their own method so it was interesting to find out how we were about to be taught.
Here they recommend we do a small coil of line in the hand that will do the main throw of the ball and a larger coil of line in your other hand. You hurl the first at your target and the second immediately after. In our entire group, only OC Hendricks was able to make the target followed by our cheers. I hit the area just above the target three times so I had a good effort. A few other people in our group kept trying but while many of their initial shots hit the edge of the ring causing a big group "Awwwwww..", their subsequent shots went way off.
Next we shifted over to gumby suit training. We were shown how to lay the suit out and the equipment attached to it. There is a strobe that strobes 50-70 times per minute and would last about 8 hours on the standard setting. If you had it set to flash half that, it would last about 15 hours. Once you activated the strobe, it attached by velcro to your head since that is the highest point out of the water and was attached to your pocket via a lanyard.
There was also a whistle on a lanyard in the same pocket. We got a good laugh when the instructor said it can be heard for a thousand miles after she immediately corrected herself to 1000 feet. There was also a manual inflation valve that allows you to blow up a pillow on your shoulders to keep you afloat. She then asked for a volunteer to show how to put it on so I couldn't help but mention that Calen had already done so and would be perfect for the demo. Once again he squeezed into the gumby suit as they again showed how to sit on it and slip it on using plastic bags on your boots to let them slide in easily. Once pulled over your head, bend over to get the air out and stand up and zip at the same time. Then when you pull the velcro tab over your face, you are almost completely engulfed in the suit. They released Calen and the rest of us all tried our own suit on.
We met up again at 13:30 for the Introduction to Seamanship class at the Waist. We counted off by threes and separated into three groups, I ended up in group one. Group one went to the port side aft area and fastened a life ring to the upper deck to make a target. Once it was ready, we were shown how to throw the heaving lines. The idea is that the hurling lines have a weighted plastic ball at the end and are attached to a dock line when you hurl it to the receiving dock for them to pull the lines over from the ship. On the Friendship, every crewman has their own method so it was interesting to find out how we were about to be taught.
Here they recommend we do a small coil of line in the hand that will do the main throw of the ball and a larger coil of line in your other hand. You hurl the first at your target and the second immediately after. In our entire group, only OC Hendricks was able to make the target followed by our cheers. I hit the area just above the target three times so I had a good effort. A few other people in our group kept trying but while many of their initial shots hit the edge of the ring causing a big group "Awwwwww..", their subsequent shots went way off.
Next we shifted over to gumby suit training. We were shown how to lay the suit out and the equipment attached to it. There is a strobe that strobes 50-70 times per minute and would last about 8 hours on the standard setting. If you had it set to flash half that, it would last about 15 hours. Once you activated the strobe, it attached by velcro to your head since that is the highest point out of the water and was attached to your pocket via a lanyard.
There was also a whistle on a lanyard in the same pocket. We got a good laugh when the instructor said it can be heard for a thousand miles after she immediately corrected herself to 1000 feet. There was also a manual inflation valve that allows you to blow up a pillow on your shoulders to keep you afloat. She then asked for a volunteer to show how to put it on so I couldn't help but mention that Calen had already done so and would be perfect for the demo. Once again he squeezed into the gumby suit as they again showed how to sit on it and slip it on using plastic bags on your boots to let them slide in easily. Once pulled over your head, bend over to get the air out and stand up and zip at the same time. Then when you pull the velcro tab over your face, you are almost completely engulfed in the suit. They released Calen and the rest of us all tried our own suit on.
My gumby suit barely fit me and I had a really hard time pulling it on, even with Calens help. When I finally zipped it up over my face, I realized I could barely breath as Calen pulled over the last velcro strap over my mouth! I pushed my head up a little so I could at least breath through my nose. I had asked Calen to take some pics once I was fully suited up but he switched it over to video once I started doing a gumby dance.
I peeled off the suit...again with Calens help. We then laid out the suit on the deck to roll it up. The arms cross horizontally, you stuff the plastic bags in the legs and then you just roll up the suit starting from the feet going up. Once rolled, you put it back in the same storage bag. Our group then moved to sit on the Waist deck for basic knots.
We each grabbed a line and were asked if we could do a bowline. We all could except Hendricks who had plenty of instructors to help. Next was a clove hitch where I got to show the shortcut to make one that Mr. Whiting taught me. Then a square knot and then the stopper knots. They showed the standard figure eight stopper and I showed a wrapped stopper knot which holds better. The figure eight is easier to release so they both have their merits. Calen jokingly made a hangman's noose.
Afterwards we started to go down to our berths to get dressed for our 16:00 to 20:00 watch. Before we went down, I had heard that we needed to check a meal schedule to see when we were scheduled to eat with the CO's. Calen, Orion and myself were scheduled for 17:10 today, yikes! So we would have to leave our watch early for the CO dinner. I informed Orion and Calen and even showed them the schedule.
When we got to our watch, I confirmed with OC Johnson that we had to leave for the CO dinner around 16:45. She made sure to pair us off with a crewmen so the posts wouldn't be abandoned. Orion headed out to bow watch and Calen really wanted to work the helm so I stepped back when they called for volunteers. That left me and Johnson on Plotting. I had already confessed that though I may know a lot about the rigging, I'm not 100% on plotting yet..
Johnson and I worked back and forth getting the detail for calculating true wind. I have to admit even though I've seen the calculations and as I watched her help teach some OC's how to do it I was able to name what calculation was needed, it still hasn't stuck in my mind. I think if I forced myself to do it with someone then it would drive it home but I was more concerned about doing our first 16:00 plot.
We used the box the compass method which I have learned before so I was able to do it myself easily when the next plot came up at 16:30. Some other methods I had been shown before were just too confusing and this was just as accurate if done correctly. Get your coordinates and compass heading from the GPS, add the information to the log. Find the longitude and latitude coordinates and spread the protractor to measure out from the exact point to the nearest corresponding "line" (lat/long). Find the nearest box to your course and mark it with the divider and do it again for the other measurement. This should cross them exactly at your coordinates.
You would then mark your ship by drawing a triangle in the direction of travel and write the time of the reading next to it. You would line up your ruler on the maps compass rose and walk it over to your triangle and then draw a line with an arrow to show the ships expected course over the next hour or so.
Afterwards we started to go down to our berths to get dressed for our 16:00 to 20:00 watch. Before we went down, I had heard that we needed to check a meal schedule to see when we were scheduled to eat with the CO's. Calen, Orion and myself were scheduled for 17:10 today, yikes! So we would have to leave our watch early for the CO dinner. I informed Orion and Calen and even showed them the schedule.
When we got to our watch, I confirmed with OC Johnson that we had to leave for the CO dinner around 16:45. She made sure to pair us off with a crewmen so the posts wouldn't be abandoned. Orion headed out to bow watch and Calen really wanted to work the helm so I stepped back when they called for volunteers. That left me and Johnson on Plotting. I had already confessed that though I may know a lot about the rigging, I'm not 100% on plotting yet..
Johnson and I worked back and forth getting the detail for calculating true wind. I have to admit even though I've seen the calculations and as I watched her help teach some OC's how to do it I was able to name what calculation was needed, it still hasn't stuck in my mind. I think if I forced myself to do it with someone then it would drive it home but I was more concerned about doing our first 16:00 plot.
We used the box the compass method which I have learned before so I was able to do it myself easily when the next plot came up at 16:30. Some other methods I had been shown before were just too confusing and this was just as accurate if done correctly. Get your coordinates and compass heading from the GPS, add the information to the log. Find the longitude and latitude coordinates and spread the protractor to measure out from the exact point to the nearest corresponding "line" (lat/long). Find the nearest box to your course and mark it with the divider and do it again for the other measurement. This should cross them exactly at your coordinates.
You would then mark your ship by drawing a triangle in the direction of travel and write the time of the reading next to it. You would line up your ruler on the maps compass rose and walk it over to your triangle and then draw a line with an arrow to show the ships expected course over the next hour or so.
The only problem we both had was calculating the distance travelled from the 15:30 reading to the 16:00 mark. We know that the ship is traveling using 190 propeller rotations just over 9 knots but 190 PR's really equals ten knots. If one degree of latitude on the map equals 15 minutes of travel then what is the calculation? We weren't sure of the last part and looked for a map key but there wasn't one. I called over the bridge lead for help on the calculation and I was distracted for a second and missed when Johnson jotted down the equation and came up with 10.2. I didn't push getting the info as I figure I have other watches to work it out on.
We were relieved of our watch and moved on to Engineering. We had been informed that no one was to work in Engineering unless they had steel toe boots on. Since we weren’t told of this before the trip, I had to hang out in the Engineering work area. I was only able to stay a few minutes before I had to bow out to get dressed for the CO dinner.
I was told for the CO dinner that you should have a collared shirt and make yourself presentable. I dressed as best I could and I could feel the other guys staring at me as I brushed my hair and added hair spray to help myself look neat. So I said, “That’s right bitches, I’m doing my hair!” which got a quick laugh. I lent a good shirt to Orion and we all headed aft to the CO's room. Before we got there we got stopped by Dan, an older guest who was adamant about explaining to us that even though we read the time right, the layout of the schedule had us there for lunch! So we were kicked out and all the TSA's who were scheduled for lunch had missed the CO lunch too.
We went to report back to our posts and were told to take lunch. It looked to me that they had pulled in some replacements. After a quick lunch, we reported to the waist because they announced that any crew who wanted to go aloft needed to report for the “up and over” training.
A Bosun reviewed with the crew what we should and should not do. You were expected to empty your pockets completely and well as take off any jewelry. No sunglasses/eyeglasses or cameras were allowed to go aloft with a halyard attached to them. Do not have two feet on the same ratline level and if you have to wait on the shrouds, be sure to clip in to a main shroud and not a ratline.
He called for two Eagle crew who were already certified to go aloft and help guide the climbers. He got one crewman immediately who was assigned to the top and later after I had already gone aloft, a second crewman climbed up and waited on the shrouds and helped coach people as they came up. The Bosun waited at the bottom and shouted at people to clip in or move off the same ratline. He was more attentive to this once an officer came over and yelled to watch the person aloft who had his feet on the same ratline.
I was told for the CO dinner that you should have a collared shirt and make yourself presentable. I dressed as best I could and I could feel the other guys staring at me as I brushed my hair and added hair spray to help myself look neat. So I said, “That’s right bitches, I’m doing my hair!” which got a quick laugh. I lent a good shirt to Orion and we all headed aft to the CO's room. Before we got there we got stopped by Dan, an older guest who was adamant about explaining to us that even though we read the time right, the layout of the schedule had us there for lunch! So we were kicked out and all the TSA's who were scheduled for lunch had missed the CO lunch too.
We went to report back to our posts and were told to take lunch. It looked to me that they had pulled in some replacements. After a quick lunch, we reported to the waist because they announced that any crew who wanted to go aloft needed to report for the “up and over” training.
A Bosun reviewed with the crew what we should and should not do. You were expected to empty your pockets completely and well as take off any jewelry. No sunglasses/eyeglasses or cameras were allowed to go aloft with a halyard attached to them. Do not have two feet on the same ratline level and if you have to wait on the shrouds, be sure to clip in to a main shroud and not a ratline.
He called for two Eagle crew who were already certified to go aloft and help guide the climbers. He got one crewman immediately who was assigned to the top and later after I had already gone aloft, a second crewman climbed up and waited on the shrouds and helped coach people as they came up. The Bosun waited at the bottom and shouted at people to clip in or move off the same ratline. He was more attentive to this once an officer came over and yelled to watch the person aloft who had his feet on the same ratline.
After I donned my harness, I got in line as early as I could. When another crewman asked me if I was nervous, I replied “are you kidding? I can’t wait!”. I got in line as fast as I could and things went a little slow as the new climbers usually slowed down when they got to the futtock shrouds. When I went up, I immediately noticed how much more stable these shrouds were compared to the Friendship. I slowly made my way up to the futtocks and went up and over to the top. I took a minute to take in the beautiful view of the ocean from this height and when it was clear I made my way back down.
On my way down I coached an OC and cheered him on a bit to try to give him some confidence since he was moving a little slow. In my experience, that usually means the climber is a little scared and being a little extra careful.
I got down from the shrouds and made sure the bosun had my name. I then removed my harness and reported back to the bridge. I I reported back to the bridge as I was I at the point in the rotation where I was to be on helm. I asked if the helm wanted relief and I was directed to the bridge XO (yikes!). To do so, I had to tell the XO the expected true course and the magnetic course it gets checked to, the amount of Propeller Rotations our engines were set at and that I request to relieve the helm with a salute. I received permission with a salute and took over the helm.
I worked with another crewmen who was large enough to steer the massive steering on his own...and he often did. He was hoping to eventually become a Master Helmsmen. He kept us keenly on course with almost constant minor adjustments. After about 20 minutes, two more crewmen came into the rotation and asked to relieve the helm so my fun was short lived.
On my way down I coached an OC and cheered him on a bit to try to give him some confidence since he was moving a little slow. In my experience, that usually means the climber is a little scared and being a little extra careful.
I got down from the shrouds and made sure the bosun had my name. I then removed my harness and reported back to the bridge. I I reported back to the bridge as I was I at the point in the rotation where I was to be on helm. I asked if the helm wanted relief and I was directed to the bridge XO (yikes!). To do so, I had to tell the XO the expected true course and the magnetic course it gets checked to, the amount of Propeller Rotations our engines were set at and that I request to relieve the helm with a salute. I received permission with a salute and took over the helm.
I worked with another crewmen who was large enough to steer the massive steering on his own...and he often did. He was hoping to eventually become a Master Helmsmen. He kept us keenly on course with almost constant minor adjustments. After about 20 minutes, two more crewmen came into the rotation and asked to relieve the helm so my fun was short lived.
Orion now came up to the bridge and noted that he could see a mist on the horizon. It was barely discernible so I was impressed when it later turned out to be a new weather system. Orion wanted to learn everything on plotting so he stayed there for the next two hours learning everything he could and even did some nav point spotting using the ships telescopic sites.
He pointed to the point he was spotting but you could only see the very distant nav point using the binoculars. He was having trouble getting the point in the spotter but eventually found and marked it. While I was doing this, we both spotted a dolphin off of starboard. I called out as I had heard other people call before "marine life to starboard!" and was rewarded as I saw a whole pod of them jump up quickly out of the water and disappear just as quickly under the ship. A happy memory I'll never forget.
For the hell of it, I attempted to get a cell signal and I was surprise when my phone showed a single cell bar signal and jumped up to two bars. However the data portion never finished connecting. I tried to change a few settings but when I attempted a call, it was never able to connect. Disappointed, I turned my phone back to airplane mode to conserve power.
I went back down to the mess and did some more writing before I was too tired to continue on and went to bed. Because we were running the engines, it was really hot in the berth. The seas were pretty choppy so I got tossed around a lot. I wanted to get up early to shower in the WC so every time I was tossed awake I'd check my watch. Since I checked my watch about 4-5 times, it ended up being a long night.
Day Six:
http://emaxadventure.weebly.com/1/post/2013/05/-day-six-tuesday.html
For the hell of it, I attempted to get a cell signal and I was surprise when my phone showed a single cell bar signal and jumped up to two bars. However the data portion never finished connecting. I tried to change a few settings but when I attempted a call, it was never able to connect. Disappointed, I turned my phone back to airplane mode to conserve power.
I went back down to the mess and did some more writing before I was too tired to continue on and went to bed. Because we were running the engines, it was really hot in the berth. The seas were pretty choppy so I got tossed around a lot. I wanted to get up early to shower in the WC so every time I was tossed awake I'd check my watch. Since I checked my watch about 4-5 times, it ended up being a long night.
Day Six:
http://emaxadventure.weebly.com/1/post/2013/05/-day-six-tuesday.html